Wake Up and Smell the Formaldehyde
by Tonight.At.Noon
Summary: On her first day in Biology 2, Caroline Forbes gets partnered with Klaus Mikaelson, the scariest kid to ever enter Mystic Falls High. Only it seems he isn't so scary when their first assignment is the dissection of a fetal pig. (AU/AH) (Klaroline Infinity Week Day One)


**A/N:** Day one of Klaroline Infinity Week! It's a weird one, but enjoy nonetheless!

* * *

 **Wake Up and Smell the Formaldehyde**

* * *

The scent of formaldehyde in the room filled Caroline's nostrils the moment she walked into the lab. Tin slabs were laid on the desks. Scalpels and blunt tools used for scraping away soft tissue and membranes stood neatly in small cups beside balls of twine. Bags of vacuum-sealed fetal pigs hid in a bin at the back of the room.

An excited tremor raced through her.

She loved dissections. Not for any weird reason. At least, she didn't think it was weird. Whenever her mother would be working night shifts at the Sheriff's station and Caroline was home alone, she would stay up way past her bedtime reading all of the books she could about animals. Cute, fluff balls to spiky-teethed deep sea creatures – they were all so fascinating. Everything about them interested Caroline. She knew tidbits about nearly every animal known to mankind. Though it did, of course, make her marginally sad for the animals she dissected, it was always more thrilling to see how they worked firsthand.

Signing up for a second year of biology despite wanting to one day become editor in chief of a newspaper was a good idea. Dissection on the first day. Senior year was going to be amazing.

Caroline walked further into the room and took a seat at the front. She wanted her teacher to see just how willing she was to get her pristine, manicured hands dirty. She was the first inside, having just come off a free period. The teacher, Mr. Salvatore, wasn't even in yet. Eyeing the clock as she set out her things – gloves (multiple pairs), lab coat, her own set of dissection tools, and glasses – Caroline counted down until the bell rung, releasing her fellow classmates from the bondage of third period.

She clasped her hands and waited.

Steadily, students trickled inside the room. She spotted Tyler Lockwood coming through the doorway. Her heart sped up. He had just broken up with Vicki Donovan right before the end of summer. He was hers for the taking. Right behind him came Mr. Salvatore ruffling his brown curls. Behind him – Klaus Mikaelson.

Caroline turner quickly away from the door. Everyone knew that if you looked too long at Klaus he would hunt you down and slit your throat. A cruel rumour started after they found the school's janitor back in her freshman year with his larynx on display in the parking lot. The school closed for a week as the investigation took place. Caroline knew Klaus was innocent even before other kids spread their silly lies because her mother told her they already had a suspect, but teenagers loved blacklisting those they felt were beneath them. Who was Caroline to spoil their fun?

A body slid onto the stool beside her. She flicked her eyes to the right, nearly melting when she saw it was Tyler.

"So, Care, how was your summer?"

Caroline didn't get a chance to respond. Mr. Salvatore stood in front of them against his desk, his eyes dancing between her and Tyler.

"This isn't going to work," he said. Caroline was confused and ready to question him further when he pointed to the back of the room. "Lockwood, partner up with Donovan. Mikaelson, up here with Miss Forbes."

"Wait!" Caroline whined, but Tyler was already walking away towards the brother of his ex-girlfriend, and coming towards her was the leather-clad, scowling Klaus Mikaelson.

Again, Caroline downturned her eyes. She flinched when Klaus took his seat, a reflex she was not overly fond nor proud of.

Mr. Salvatore began his lecture as soon as the second bell rang. He spent the first few minutes introducing himself, even though almost all of them had him for their first biology class back in freshman year and those who hadn't already knew who he was. Caroline just wanted to get to the dissection. Tyler or no Tyler, she was still looking forward to it.

After he went over some safety measures and gave them instructions on how to tie down the specimen, Mr. Salvatore passed out the pigs to each table. Caroline watched some of the girls' faces shrivel with disgust. She wondered if they only took the class for Mr. Salvatore, who just so happened to be the youngest member on Mystic Falls High's staff. Hiding a smile, Caroline very cautiously glanced at her reluctant lab partner. Was it the light, or did he have the same disgusted look as Elena Gilbert?

"Okay, class, if you would put on all of your safety gear, we can get started," Mr. Salvatore instructed. Everyone covered their hands, eyes, and clothes. "Excellent. Now, the pigs are sealed very tightly. One of you will have to hold the bag while the other cuts across the top. Then, someone will have to take the bag to the back of the room and dump out the liquid."

Caroline went for the bag, holding it up for Klaus to snip. Behind the goggles, she saw his dark eyes turn to slits. She swallowed the knot in her throat and waited. Klaus picked up a pair of scissors and cut away a strip of the bag. Caroline watched the pig the entire time. She stood when he was finished, going to the back and emptying the formaldehyde into a bucket. Upon her return, she found pieces of twine laid out against the dissection pan.

"Thanks," she said, surprised. Klaus nodded, the greenish-grey of his skin making the slight orange tint in his hair stand out. Taking the pig out and laying it on its back, she made quick work of the tying. Looking around the room, Caroline noticed they were the first ones done.

Mr. Salvatore stood back at the front of the room and clapped his hands. "If you'll open your lab books to page 5, you'll see all of the diagrams needed for the dissection. If anybody has any questions, I'll be happy to come around and help. If you don't have questions, then by all means get started."

Caroline couldn't help the smile that spread over her face. If she ignored the presence of the scariest person to ever attend the school, she found she had no trouble concentrating on the task at hand.

Carefully taking the scissors, Caroline began cutting into the specimen's jaw. Bones crunched beneath the weight of her hand. Beside her, Klaus's body jerked.

"Are you okay?" she asked, startled.

He shook his head feverishly, eyes glancing all around the room. He was covering his mouth with his hand.

He was going to be sick. The colour of his skin had gone fully green. He looked like the aliens in _Toy Story_ minus the third eye and antenna.

"Bucket!" Caroline called. "I need a bucket."

The room went still. Mr. Salvatore was helping Elena Gilbert in the back. Looking towards Caroline, he raised his eyebrows in question.

"He's gonna be sick!" she said loudly. "Somebody please grab a buck"—

But it was too late. Klaus leaned forward, opened his mouth, and emptied his stomach right on to the floor. The formaldehyde scent in the air disappeared, replaced with the smell of acidic bile. Caroline sat still, eyes wide. She watched Klaus panting next to her. Suddenly, he didn't seem so terrifying.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he shot off of his stool, tossed his glasses aside, and exited the room. Caroline watched him run to the boy's bathroom at the end of the hall.

"That's okay," Mr. Salvatore said, having finally comprehended the situation. He moved to the front. "Tyler, go grab the janitor. Caroline, you should probably go clean yourself off."

"Yeah," she agreed. She took off her goggles and gloves and exited the room. She went to the girl's toilets right across from the boy's.

After careful inspection, Caroline decided she was clear of sick. Nothing had gotten on her. However, that didn't stop her from scrubbing herself down multiple times.

Caroline gripped the basin and looked at herself in the mirror. Her blond hair was thankfully tied back, meaning it had been a safe distance from the spray. Her face was clean, too. What the hell happened back there? She thought of all of her classmates, the menacing Klaus Mikaelson would be able to stand a dissection. And if he couldn't, what was he doing signing up for a class where dissecting animals was half of the fun?

Shaking her head, Caroline couldn't help but feel bad for him. Everyone made fun of him already. He was the butt of everybody's cruel jokes. What would people say now that he'd thrown up during a measly foetal pig dissection. She wondered if he was okay. She hadn't heard the door to the boy's bathroom open yet.

Should she go check on him? The part of her mother that lived inside of her was saying _yes_. Not one to go against her instincts, Caroline checked herself over one more time before abandoning the girls' bathroom and bravely entering the boys'.

It was like entering another world. Instead of the purple and pink walls stencilled with an assortment of flowers and encouraging words, this toilet was painted a brown-y grey colour. Stains lined the walls in place of Chandler Bingquotes. The stall doors were indented with scribbles and insults. There was no floral scent to the room either.

 _Gross_.

At the end of the room, face buried beneath a faucet, was Klaus. He switched the water off and wiped himself clean with a cloth, eyes landing on Caroline. He jumped. She did, too.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," she said.

"A girl is in the boys' bathroom. You've disturbed me either way."

Caroline heard Klaus talk so little, she had forgotten he was English. His accent came out thickly. It wasn't nearly as harsh as she had been expecting.

"Look, I wanted to apologise."

"Whatever for?"

A good question. Caroline wasn't sure she had an answer. "Well, you know, for the whole vomiting thing."

Klaus's lips lifted in a snarl. "You didn't make me throw up. Save your apologies for somebody else."

Stepping further into the bathroom, Caroline said, "No, really, I'm sorry."

"Why?" he said, eyes hardening. "Because they're gonna be talking about me now? Even more than they were before? Hardly your problem, is it."

"So? I'm still"—

—"Stop apologising! You're one of them!" he interrupted harshly.

"One of whom?"

"Of them! The kids that talk shit behind my back. Don't get me wrong, I've never given a fuck what anyone thinks of me, but that doesn't mean I don't see through your bullshit. You don't care about me. None of you do. None of you ever will. So stop pretending."

Caroline was quiet for a moment as his words soaked through her. They were cold words. Angry. For a boy who was so adamant about never showing any hint of emotion other than revulsion, he was full of passion. Looking at him across the room, Caroline saw his blue eyes swimming.

How had she never noticed his eyes before?

No, she knew why. She had been trained from the age of fourteen by her classmates that his eyes were black and soulless. Fear of him had been instilled within her four years ago, and she never thought to doubt her friends. But he wasn't scary. He was hurt and lonely, even if he didn't know it.

He was beautiful.

Tentatively, Caroline stepped towards him. He eyed her curiously, still fuming, but he didn't move away or tell her to stop. She reached him. She put her hand up and touched the sharp, clean line of his jaw. A muscle jumped beneath her fingertips. She gasped, realising that she hadn't expected him to be so _alive_. He looked like a stray pit bull terrified of human contact.

"I'm sorry," she said again, hoping against hope he could hear the sincerity in her voice. He didn't say anything, but she swore his cheek pressed heavier into her palm. "I'm sorry, Klaus. Nobody deserves to be treated the way you've been treated."

"I don't care how I've been treated."

He was lying. She could spot it a mile away. Nobody's skin was that tough. Words hurt. They left lacerations in their wake.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. Again and again, _I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry_.

Maybe he was sick of her apologies. Maybe he too felt the tension growing between them. Or maybe he had wanted to do it all of his life — kiss a girl mid-speech. Whatever the reason, Klaus Mikaelson grabbed ahold of Caroline's waist and pulled her until their lips were hovering. His were mere centimetres above hers. She could smell the mouthwash he had gargled. It burned her throat.

He was giving her an opportunity to back down, but she wasn't going to take it. Closing her eyes, Caroline leaned up and the minuscule gap between them diminished.

Caroline had been kissed before plenty of times. Sloppy, tongue-y kisses that left her feeling somewhat violated. She had been kissed before, but never like this.

His mouth was firm. It was like fire. There was no grappling for dominance or painful teeth clashing. It was slow and electric. Caroline's hair stood on-end as Klaus moved his hands to her spine, pressing their bodies together. She slipped her arms around his neck, twirling her fingers in his hair, breathing into his mouth, wishing she could get closer to him. But they were only human, only capable of being so close. So, she decided she didn't want to merely be closer, she wanted to move into him. She felt such a security being in his arms. What an odd sensation.

Why had she spent so long being afraid of him? He was gentle and kind and his mouth tasted like mint against the tip of her tongue. There was nothing to be fearful of. Caroline understood that now.

She felt the anguish inside of him spill out as they kissed. She soaked up his pain.

When they broke apart, Klaus rested his forehead against hers. His eyes were open. They were still swimming. Gorgeous oceans of warmth and desire.

"Wow," she breathed. She hiccuped a small laugh and pulled her head back.

"What?"

"Nothing, no. I just … didn't expect you to be such a good kisser."

She wasn't afraid anymore and it seemed he wasn't either, for across his face bloomed a carefree smile that gave way to gorgeous, boyish dimples. "What were you expecting? Tonsil hockey?"

Caroline pinched her face. "Ew. No. I don't know what I was expecting. Not that, clearly."

What was happening? Was she _flirting_ with Klaus Mikaelson? Was he flirting back? She was going to get whiplash with how sharp a turn this afternoon took. Just twenty minutes ago she was set on getting Tyler Lockwood.

"Listen," Caroline said, still fiddling with the bronzed curls a the nape of Klaus's neck. Her cheeks warmed. Suddenly, she was embarrassed. "How would you feel about maybe going out this weekend?"

"With you?"

"With me."

Klaus looked to be contemplating her offer. "I don't know. What if things don't go well and our lab partnership is ruined?"

"Our lab partnership was ruined the moment you threw up on me."

"First of all, I did not throw up on you. I threw up next to you," he corrected. Caroline knocked their noses together. "Second of all, had I been more prepared, I would not have been sick at all. I'm okay dissecting just about anything, but back in England my mum got me a pig for my fifth birthday. He was my best friend. I couldn't hurt Piglet like that."

"Oh, what a creative name," Caroline said in jest. "And he was your best friend? You realise that's kind of"—

—"Pathetic?"

"Just a bit."

"I'll have you know that I am incredibly pathetic. The leather is just an attempt to throw people off."

Caroline's head went back and she released a breathy laugh. Once it was out of her system, she locked eyes with Klaus once more, noticing his smile had dropped.

"What?" she asked, worried something had changed in the two seconds she hadn't been looking at him. Was it her neck? Did it gross him out?

Klaus leaned closer to her. Her breathing quickened. "This weekend," he said, "I'm free on Saturday night."

An unexpected giddiness swept through Caroline's blood. Her smile stretched wide. "Good. Great. It's a date. Sorry. I didn't mean for that to rhyme."

Klaus shook his head gently, inching ever nearer. Like before, his mouth was poised above hers, ready for the final descent—

—"What the hell? Get out!"

Caroline and Klaus jumped apart. A boy who looked about thirteen was pointing to the door.

"Right," Caroline said, grabbing Klaus's hand and dragging him towards the exit, "we were just leaving. Sorry."

Upon leaving the bathroom, Caroline and Klaus burst out in half-crazed laughter. It had been maybe ten minutes since the incident. There was plenty of time to get back to class and finish the lab.

"I'll deal with everything. If I think any bones will break, I'll let you know so you can cover your ears," Caroline said as they made their way to biology.

He whispered a thank you, low enough for only her to hear. Entering the room, she squeezed his hand and let go. Together, they took their seats, ignoring everyone's—including Mr. Salvatore's—intrusive stares.

* * *

"And that, kids, is how I met your father. He threw up on me." Caroline finished her story and watched the two children in front of her carefully. They were sitting side by side on the green sofa she hated, but couldn't get rid of because it was a gift from Klaus's mother. "Come on, you guys wanted to know how we met. Isn't it such a cool story?"

"You guys kissed in the boy's bathroom after Daddy threw up on you. That isn't very cool. It's kind of disgusting. What if he still had throw up in his mouth?"

"Violet, why would you say that? Didn't you hear the part where I said he'd washed his mouth out with mouthwash?"

Violet was ready to respond when the front door opened and Klaus walked in. He set down his briefcase on the table near the door, already kneeling to accept the kids into his arms. They squealed as he hugged them.

"Mommy was telling me and Tommy how you met!" Violet shrieked in his ear.

Klaus quirked an eyebrow and smiled at Caroline. She blushed, unable to stop herself. It was a reflex. "Was she now? What did she say?"

"That you threw up on her and then you kissed in the bathroom!" Tommy supplied, his _s_ 's coming out as _th_ 's.

Klaus looked affronted. Caroline rolled her eyes, already knowing what he was going to say. "I did not throw up _on_ you," he argued. "I threw up _next to_ you."


End file.
